I am so very stoked to be chosen as the winner of The 2016 International Earth & Sky Photo Contest. My image of the Northern Lights shot last October from the top of Mount Reinebringen, in Lofoten, was selected as the winner in the Against the Lights category and overall contest winner. The image was shot on October the 7th 2015, during one of the most beautiful Aurora displays I have ever witnessed. A big thank you goes to my wife Anca, who joined me for this camping trip up the mountain and who understands all my nocturnal escapades for shooting the night sky. That day, I looked at some satellite data and decided we should go up as something was going to happen. Being an astrophysicist helps a lot when shooting the Northern Lights as it gives you a deeper understanding of the phenomenon and lets you better plan your photo sessions. Went up around 7PM and, as soon as the Sun set, the sky went on fire. Green, purple, pink fire. What an amazing night we had. I started astrophotography a long time ago, when I was 13 years old. Now, I am 32. I’m not doing it for the […]

I get this question very frequently, whenever I post a photo depicting the Aurora Borealis.
The answer is simple, but complicated: It depends. :) There is no universal recipe for photographing the Northern Lights, but there are some general aspects that have to be taken care of.

A bit of location scouting and some help from Lady Aurora made this photo a lot more interesting than my other try. But, all in all, the experience is fantastic. Battling the cold is a lot more enjoyable under the undulating curtains of the Aurora Borealis.